Venetian blind



ept. 1, 1951 A. J. TOTI ET AL 2,567,256

VENETIAN BLIND Filed June 13, 1949 F76: 1 763 F/G 4- F/6. Z

IN VEN TORS ANDREW J 707/ a PETER PRINCE VALLE THE/R A Tro R/{E Y Patented Sept. 11, 1951 VENETIAN BLIND Andrew J. Toti and-Peter Princevalle, Modesto, Calif., assignors of one-third to J. A. Bried,

Berkeley, Calif.

Application June 13, 1949; Serial No. 98,836

'7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to Venetian blinds and has for its object a construction which willeliminate the straight slat or barred window effect common to such blinds yet preserve the advantages of adjustability for admission or exclusion of light and sun as with the regular Venetian blinds as used for a great many years.

Particular features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and inthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a portion of our improved Venetian blinds with the slats closed.

Fig. 2 is a similar view to that of Fig. 1 but showing the slats fully open.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of Fig. 1 taken along the line 3-3 thereof.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of Fig. .2 taken along the line 4-4 thereof Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of a modified formof the slats in position of the slats of Fig. 1.

v Fig. 6 is fragmentary detail of a few slats shown with surface-decoration, or configuration.

Before describing the improvement in detail it is desired to point out that insofar as known, Venetian blinds, though they go away back in history, have always been formed of straight flat slats or substantially flat slats arranged horizontally in vertical spaced relation when open, and with margins in overlapping relation when closed, so as to completely shut out the lightsuspension means being provided for adjusting the opening or closing of the slats to any degree desired, and for raising the blind to any degree.

The great objection to the use of Venetian blinds in artistic homes and buildings is that they contribute a barred window effect which is jail-like in its mechanical precision and quite ruins the artistic effect of associated curtains or drapes, and it is this objection which is overcome by the present improvement.

In the present improvement the slats-are not simple straight slats, but they are formed with undulating bodies and/or margins so that when assembled as a Venetian blind they present a graceful drapery-like appearance, thus eliminating the harsh barred window effect of all Venetian blinds as made to date, insofar as is known.

In the drawings the portions of the Venetian blinds shown comprise the slats I, tilting tapes 2, lower rocker bar 3. The usual overhead operating mechanism, suspension cords or chains (which generally pass through holes in the slats) for elevating and. lowering the blinds. and for v rocking "the lower bar '3, being omitted as being well understood in the art and subject to variations in detail not concerned with the present invention.

In Fig. 1 the novel feature shown is the undu latingor festoon like lower margins 5 of the slats and the complemental undulating upper margins 5 of the slats overlapped by 'theundulating margins 5-of the next slat above, and so on, to thereby contribute a decideddrapery effect when the slats are turned to expose their sides more or less to view. If the slats are flat and straight in the other plane; as they may be; the effect when full-y opened only would still substantially be a series of straight vertical-1y spaced horizontal lines, but as the slats are very thin this would not be very objectionable, and *as'the slats were turned the drapery or festo'on effect would become more and more pronounced.

However, for maximum festoon or gathered curtain effect the slats I may also be formed with undulations in the opposite plane-i. e. trans-' versely of their flat sides as shown in Fig. 2 the open position of the slats at 6 and 6 and wherein the convex curve 6 is the lower side of the undulations and 6 is the concave complemental upper side, and the crests of the undulations extend across the width of the slats.

As in the common Venetian blinds the overlapping of the margins of the slats is very little they would have to be set somewhat closer together if one or both margins were cut away to form the undulating curves, and still be overlapped by the adjacent slats to shut out the light or sun rays when tilted. Therefore, to secure long and relatively deep undulations to give maximum drapery eiTect the slats for a given separation or vertical spacing should be considerably wider than the regular slats of Venetian blinds as heretofore made. Of course the slats with the undulating margins may be reversed to bring the concave curves lowermost, but the drapery effect is then inverted with some form of curves.

If the margins of the slats are formed with equal sinuous curves as indicated in Fig. 5 at 1 they will present the same effect with either edge down, though one slat here and there could not be reversed as the adjacent sinuous lines would be out of phase so they would not overlap properly when closed, but would leave spaced openings through which the suns rays or other light could strike. It is preferable that the rocking bar 3 be the same shape as the slats.

In order to augment the draped curtain effect the slats may additionally be surface decorated or embossed to simulate smaller folds and creases as indicated at 9 in Fig. 6.

The tilting or rocking tapes 2 may conveniently be positioned at the juncture of the drapery simiilating curves as shown in the drawing Figs. 1 and 7, and there may be any number of such tapes or strings, say at each juncture if desired or they may be positioned elsewhere along the dulatory curves along the margins of adjacent or overlapping edges of the slats, is intended to mean that the arrangement is such that where the curves curve downwardly on one of the overlapping edges the curves of the other edge or adjacent slat also curve downwardly, and vice versa, so as to follow each other substantially in phase" along the slats.

Having thus described our improvement in Venetian blind construction, what we claim is:

1. In a Venetian blind of the type with tiltable overlapping slats, said slats provided with undulatory curves extending along their bodies, and the bodies of the slats being wide enough and arranged to shut off the spaces between the slats undulations when the slats are tilted to overlapped position, the curves on adjacent slats when tilted being substantially in phase.

2. In a Venetian blind of the type with tiltable overlapping slats, said slats provided with undulatory uniform sinuous curves extending along their bodies, and the bodies of the slats being wide enough and arranged to shut oil the spaces between the slats undulations when the slats are tilted to overlapped position, the undulations being along opposite margins of the slats and substantially in phase across the width of the slats.

3. In a Venetian blind of the type with tiltable overlapping slats, said slats provided with undulatory curves extending along their bodies, and the bodies of the slats being wide enough and arranged to shut off the spaces between the slats undulations when the slats are tilted to overlapped position, the undulations being on opposite margins of the slats and complemental to one another andsubstantially in phase.

4. A Venetian blind slat provided with a series of undulations along the slat body and normal to its thickness with the crests of the undulatory waves extending crosswise of the width of the slat.

5. A Venetian blind slat provided along its onposite edges with a series of undulations, the undulations of opposite edges extending in the same direction back and forth and being substantially in phase across the slat.

6. A Venetian blind slat provided along its opposite edges with sinuous undulations, and the undulations of the opposite edges beingsubstantia-lly in phase across the slat. 1

'7. A Venetian blind slat provided along its 0p-. posite edges with a series of festoon-like undulations, the undulations of opposite edges extending in the same direction back and forth and being substantially in phase across the slat.

ANDREW J. TOTI. PETER PRINCEVALLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,805,238 Duncanson May 12, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,363 Great Britain 1903 570,017 France Jan. 12, 1924 

